Me Minus Many
by Saraphinzorsfershizx
Summary: Audilynn was always special to him. He kept a picture of her at work, although that was arguably one of the worst things to do. He couldn't leave her behind. So what happens when he can't recognize her anymore because of her incredible weight loss?
1. Chapter 1

_**Sooo, **_

_**This is my first Criminal Minds Fan Fiction so please be kind. :)**_

_**Reviews would be nice. Constructive Criticism would be fabulous. :)  
**_

* * *

Spencer Reid walked, sheepishly, to the conference room, greeting the other agents at the round table before he took a seat and opened a case file.

"Reid, where ya been?" Morgan asked, taking a seat at his right, "You were almost late." Everyone else followed their lead and took a seat around the table.

"Almost. I'm never late." Reid said to him in a low voice, taking a sip of his coffee and raising his eyebrows at Morgan.

His fingers grazed the file before. He was the only one who stuck to actual files now. He liked the hard copies of the information better than the tablets that Garcia had provided.

"Alright, What do we have this time?" Prentiss leaned back in her chair a bit before, stretching and coming closer to the tablet on the table.

He sighed, taking his fingers and opening the file. The first thing he noticed were the pictures in the file. The pictures of the women when they were young, and adult, and then their dead bodies afterward. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping that sleep wouldn't allude him again over another case. That was inevitable, though.

"Some Sicko in our own backyard here. He's been burying women alive after they've been tortured..." Garcia went on as Reid started letting his mind wander.

It wasn't the way that the bodies were at the end that bothered him; It was the fact that they'd been buried alive. Four women's lives had ended right then and there, through a suffocatingly harsh punishment.

Reid furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, looking at several other pictures. He noted that they had pictures of these girls as kids. The girls had all been overweight and chubby as children. He looked up to Garcia. "Why do we have pictures of them as kids?"

Garcia pressed several buttons on her remote, pulling the pictures up on the large screen. "The police found a common denominator between all the women. All of them have lost at least one hundred pounds since childhood."

Reid turned his eyes back down, nodding, as he skimmed the case file again.

"Virginia State police have found five bodies, four have been identified but one is mangled beyond any kind of recognition. We're aware of at least two missing persons' that match the Victimology: Annie Carpenter and Audilyn Adley." Garcia recited the names from the paper in her hand and slid her thumb over the button that brought about their pictures on the screen.

His body froze, his head and eyes still casted downward at the files. It made him feel vulnerable in a room of profilers. He knew that name: Audilynn Adley. He knew her more than he'd ever known anyone else. She was his best friend growing up. She was always more than that, though.

He stayed frozen, barely hearing, as Garcia went on about the case. Only a few thoughts were running through his mind. _Why Her? Why Audilynn? She was so nice and sweet? _

But after those thoughts ran, the profiler in him took over and calmly replied. _Because she dropped the weight. There would be no necessity for any other reason._

She was a such a nice girl, his age. She wasn't as smart as he was, although she had skipped two grades, and graduated High School at fifteen. She was always made fun of and picked on because of her weight. Audilynn couldn't escape the extreme neighborhood kids, who threw rocks at her, betting how fast they could make her "roll" down the street.

Spencer, finally gaining the courage, looked up at the presentation that Garcia had prepared, his jaw hanging with sadness and fear. The first thing he noticed was how slim their faces and arms were. The two women were beautiful. Both had long, brown hair and a radiant smile.

He didn't recognize the photos. He didn't want it to be the sweet, innocent girl he'd known in his childhood. He wanted to be able to remember his friend, Audliynn with good memories and not those of a tortured victim.

Spencer silently stood up, the case files in one hand, he marched to the bullpen, toward his desk.

"Reid!" Morgan called after him, walking out of the room and following him halfway to his desk.

When he got there, he slammed the case file down on the surface. He was getting angry. He was angry that some sick person had abducted _his_ Audilynn.

He agitatedly took a deep breathe before bending down.

Spencer tugged on the last drawer, pulling it free. It was almost bare. _Almost. _Sitting on the drawer's bottom was one lonely picture. It had no frame, being bare in itself.

He slowly picked up the picture. He picked his eyes up and held the picture in his hand tightly. He vowed he'd never lose it. He marched past Morgan and Hotch, who'd been watching him carefully.

"Can you pull up their childhood pictures, Garcia." not a question that came from his lips. An order of some sort.

She muttered a "Yeah." before, looking at him sadly.

Spencer stared at the picture on the screen for a moment before stepping forward and placing the picture in his hands against the board.

His eyes darted between the two. They were unmistakably the same person.

"Spencer," Garcia stepped a few feet closer to him.

He turned toward. "How long has she been missing?"

Garcia, who had a slightly terrified expression on her face at this point, looking down at one of the tablets, catching a glance at the number. "Four days."

Spencer nodded, biting his bottom lip, and letting his head hang low. "She only has five days and seventeen hours before he kills her."

He shook his head, still biting his bottom lip. Nobody really understood what was going on, but saying anything that they were thinking would only make it more real for him, and they kind of knew he couldn't handle the truth at the moment.

"Guys, Wheels up in ten." Hotch announced, everyone immediately following his orders and rushing out of the room to grab their things.

Hotch took a few nonchalant steps forward before speaking. "Spence," Spencer nodded his head in Hotch's direction to signify that he'd heard him. "We're going to find her."

Spencer nodded, hanging his head again before building enough courage to deal with this.

_Her life is in my hands. I will **not** let her die._

* * *

The murders were happening close to home, and quite frankly, Spencer felt as if he was unable to tolerate that.

They had, on the other hand, gotten a letter through the media from the supposed killer, and long story short, found an address within four days, which was cutting it close and Spencer had started to Royally freak out about it.

Spencer was one of the first to race out of the building, Morgan following behind him and rushing into the drivers seat of the SUV.

Spencer knew that Morgan was undeniable the better driver of the two. Unable and unwilling to bring up that topic, he ran toward the passenger seat and slid in.

They didn't speak. There was nothing much to say. They were simply going to catch, as Morgan would say, 'The Son of a Bitch who did this.'

Spencer watched the houses zoom by as the car propelled forward, slipping on a bullet proof vest. Morgan already had his on, and it was imperative that Spencer strap his on as well. Last time he was shot in the leg, but guns are tricky.

Spencer had Audilynn on his mind. His heart raced with the thought of bringing her home safely. She was one of the only friends he'd had growing up, and he would not let her get hurt.

Morgan stopped the car abruptly as they pulled in front of the house. He shut off the car and threw himself out of the door, drawing his weapon and rushing forward. Spencer was only a few steps behind him, making sure his vest was on snuggly.

"Open Up! FBI!" Morgan shouted, banging on the door twice. He looked to Spencer, who stared back waiting for the cue.

Morgan took a step back and threw his leg forward, sending the door crashing forward and down to the floor.

Spencer walked in, his gun out and pointed. He heard Morgan walking in the opposite direction.

Slowly, Reid walked toward the kitchen, clearing the area before moving on. The other half of the team was on their way.

It was clean, he noted. Cleaner than any kitchen he'd ever seen. Why the incessant need to be so immaculate?

He noticed immediately after, a door at the far side of the room. It was locked with three different locks. "Morgan, we have a locked door over here. Bolted three ways." He said into the radio in his vest.

"Copy." Morgan responded, making his way to Reid.

Spencer's hands used to shake nervously when they had to come into somebody's home. He had become immune. And that, ironically, is what scared him most.

Morgan silently came from behind him, and stepped forward to examine the door.

He nodded, looking at Spencer. "He's either in there or he's fled the scene."

Spencer nodded, gracefully taking his hand up and quickly undoing the locks. He turned the knob and pushed the door.

Immediately an odor of body sweat and filth filled their nostrils.

Spencer took the first step, taking the stairs two at a time.

_Bang! "Argh!" _

Spencer stopped walking and turned to Morgan. They both silently understood that they needed to make as little noise as possible.

"_I told you to behave! I fed you and kept you alive and this is how you treat me?!" _A voice outraged, screamed out and echoed throughout the undoubtedly large basement-like area.

"_You're a coward, old man. You think you can break me that easily? I'm not your wife." _A low, sad, nearly defeated voice responded.

Spencer raised an eyebrow. It wasn't everyday that you saw such a strong fighter in a woman. They normally complied to stay alive, but this woman did the exact opposite.

"_Rargh!" _A huge fight broke out between this man and woman. Things started hitting the floor, two sets of voices echoing through the area and the slamming of objects against skin and bone. Outcries of pain rang out through the room.

Spencer and Morgan immediately started taking the stairs two at a time, pushing themselves down and deeper.

_Bang!Bang!_

Spencer knew the sound too well. His heart cried at that sound. The girl was dead. She survived so long, and yet, she was taken.

Spencer entered the room first, looking immediately for a man, holding a gun, a bloody body at his feet.

Instead he found a woman, stripped to her underwear and bra, holding a small gun outward, a stance that meant only one thing.

She had pulled the trigger.

Spencer choked on his words for a moment as he entered the room. He could never forget a face like hers. He had worked this entire case, trying to make himself believe that this wasn't the Audilynn he knew. But, when he saw her, he knew that there was no mistaking it.

She looked up from the dead body lying before her and looked at Spencer, her expression changing from disgust to complete shock.

"Audilynn Adley?" Spencer asked the woman, although, he'd already figured who it was.

The woman nodded her head. She lowered gun immediately upon seeing them and held it almost limply at her side, pointing to the door behind her with her other hand. "You have to help Annie. She's in the back. She's hurt really bad. She needs help!" The woman started to tremble, her voice cracking with tears and hysterics.

Morgan nodded and ran past Spencer, toward the back room, where a missing woman was laying.

Spencer lifted the mic in his vest to his mouth. "We need a medic and some blankets." He looked back up at her, carefully. She _did _have a gun and she _had been kidnapped_ and held captive for a while. He figured her mental facilities may not be where they should be. "Audliynn, help for Annie is coming right now, okay? Now," He hesitated. He wanted to avoid his name. She would get awkward if he told her yet. "My partner and I are in the FBI."

Audilynn tilted her head. "I see that."

Reid chuckled looking down at the vest with a small smile. "Can you give me the gun, so we can get you out of here?" He said, looking back at her, holding her gaze, trying to mentally reassure her.

Audilynn nodded and held out her hand with the gun, handing it to him.

Immediately, Spencer took the gun, flipped on the safety and put it into his waistband. He took one look at her, saw her uncomfortable under his eyes.

He reached his right hand over to the velcro strap of his bullet-proof vest and started undoing it the fastest way he could. He'd be in trouble with Hotch if Hotch saw that he'd taken it off in the field. But, this was Audilynn. She was uncomfortable. She wanted to be protected. And he was her protector. Even if she didn't know who he was just yet.

Spencer ripped he tie loose, threw it to the side, and unbuttoned his white shirt. It only took him a minute or so. Probably because he had a bad habit of waking up late every morning.

He walked toward her, now in his lonely pale undershirt, holding out his button-up to her. She took it kindly and put it on as fast as she could.

He kept his eyes on her as he pulled on the velcro vest he'd thrown to the side. He walked up to her as she undeniably soaked up the warmth of his shirt. "Come on, Audilynn, let's get you out of here."

The whole ordeal in the basement hadn't even taken long enough for the medical team to get there, so Spencer didn't worry about any questions or anything.

She nodded again, goosebumps raising on her skin. He rushed her up the stairs and into the warm sun, trying his best to conceal her exposed body.

Spencer, kept his eyes on her as he walked Audilynn to the SUVs and opened the door for her. "I know this is going to be uncomfortable for a little while, but we have some blankets coming."

Audilynn looked at him and let some fresh tears fall slowly. "Is Annie going to be alright?"

Spencer looked away from her for a moment. He couldn't ever handle it when she cried. He forced himself to look her in the eyes. He forced himself, no matter how painful it was, to evacuate all emotions for the time being. "We don't know the severity of her injuries yet. But, I'll try to keep you posted."

Spencer waited until she nodded before he backed away slowly from the car, taking the deepest breath he could ever take and placing his back against the car.

He took his moment of peace, before placing a hand on his waist and rushing back in the house. Morgan was in there with Annie and the same way he couldn't leave Audilynn alone was the same way he couldn't leave Morgan and Annie alone.

Spencer had run in, Annie was bleeding very severely and Morgan had opted to carry her out of the building for the medics.

She was taken immediately to the ICU. But, because Morgan had taken her out of the building when he did, she was alive when she was put in the ambulance.

Basically, the rest of the case was closed. The kidnapper was dead. There were no reported partners. And, they'd saved two women...No, They saved Audilynn.

He saw her in the back of an ambulance, sitting upright, feet hanging over the sides, staring down at the white T-shirt she wore. Reid wondered what she felt when she looked at it.

He sighed before stuffing his hands in his pockets and walked toward the woman sitting in the ambulance.

Spencer took a seat next to her. "Hey," He greeted.

"Hi," She said, turning a bright shade of red and looking away.

"How are you feeling?" Spencer asked, staring at her, observing her awkward tendencies and attitude toward him.

"Good. Just a little beat up. But I'll be okay." She said, looking down at her nails, inspecting them.

Her hair was tucked inside a blanket that lay over her shoulders. She still wore his button-up, which was poking out over the top of the blanket. As for pants, Spencer couldn't see if she'd had any on now, but with any observation he'd made, he figured she wasn't wearing any and had opted for covering her legs with the blanket.

Spencer nodded. He looked at her, inspecting inconspicuously. A few marks lined her neck; dark blue and purple bruises. "They're going to take you to the hospital and check you out to make sure you don't have any long-term damage."

"Okay." She responded simply.

"Do you have anyone you can stay with?" Spencer asked, worried for her. Afterall, last time he'd seen her she was in Las Vegas. She wasn't supposed to be here.

She was quiet for a moment. "Yeah. There's someone I know. I have his address."

Spencer felt a sharp pain go through his heart.

'_His?'_

Who was_ He_?

"Oh. Alright." He sighed and then reached into his pocket for a second. "Well," He pulled out a piece of paper and borrowed a pen from one of the EMT's. He wrote down his number. "Here. I'm from the area, so," He held out the paper for her. "If you need any help finding something, give me a call."

Audilynn took the paper and nodded. "Thank you." She said, looking at him for the first time since the basement.

"I hope you feel better," Spencer said, standing up. "Please, try to stay out of trouble." He chuckled, causing her to finally crack a smile.

He nodded.

"Goodbye Audilynn." He said, looking at her one last time, before he walked out of her life forever.

Or at least, that's what he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Spencer sat in the Bullpen, spacing out at his desk. He'd sat silently for the last five minutes, and while this in itself wasn't abnormal, he had already finished his work and hadn't left yet.

He looked down at his desk finally and noticed the picture he always kept in his drawer sitting on the surface. It seemed to be crying out to him. He held the picture in his hands and examined the face of Audilynn Adley, who smiled sweetly at the camera.

It had been two days since he'd seen her.

And he regretted not telling her his name. Telling her that it was him, who she knew so well.

He sighed and pulled his bag onto his lap. He'd seen her again, yes, but it was Agent Dr. Spencer Reid that she met, not Spencer Reid, her childhood friend.

Taking the picture, and glancing at it one more time, he gently pushed it into a pocket of his bag. He lifted the strap over his head and exited the bullpen silently.

No one asked him questions. Half because they knew he was upset and didn't want to bother him and half because they were all so drowned in work that they themselves didn't even notice he'd walked out.

Spencer half dragged himself to his archaic car, unlocking it and sliding into the drivers seat.

The ride home was a drag for him. He just wanted to sleep. He didn't want alcohol or coffee. He didn't want food or anything remotely sweet. He wanted the sweet release of sleep.

He'd noticed a few things on the way into the apartment complex that he resided in; a new car in the parking lot, the lights on in the lobby, which normally turned off and let the back-up lights illuminate the place for energy saving purposes.

He silently opened the door and stepped in, walking immediately to the mailbox, waving hello to the apartment specialist, and walking up to his apartment.

Spencer threw the mail on the counter and let it lay their, sloppily.

He'd been in his apartment all of five minutes before a knock echoed out into his lonely apartment. He looked back at the door, a confused expression plaguing his face. He walked toward the door, and opened it, making sure his hand was at a good position in relation to his gun, in case anything were to go wrong.

And it was her.

Audilynn.

She stood in front of him, wearing a change of her own clothes, holding her purse on her arm, and looking at the ground.

Spencer was in shock. He was curious, he was excited, he was happy. He was in euphoria. All in that one moment.

She looked up at the sound of the door, and upon seeing him, looked confused. "Agent?" She looked confusedly down at the paper in her hands. "I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment." She chuckled nervously. "I'm looking for a Dr. Spencer Reid." She looked up at Spencer, not realizing that she _had_ the right apartment and that _he_ was who she was looking for.

He stared at her for a moment. "Dr. Spencer Reid?" He asked breathessly, raising an eyebrow. His heart beat quickened.

Audilynn nodded, looking down at the paper. "Oh man. I knew this would be harder than I thought." She said to herself staring at the paper. "Do you think he might have lived here before you did?"

Spencer smiled for the first time that day, staring at her. His heart thumped hard in his chest, threatening his cover.

"What?" She asked.

He looked down and shook his head. "Nothing. Would you like to come in? Maybe we can figure this out inside." He moved to the side, motioning for her to come in.

She nodded and smiled. "Thank you." She stepped inside and stood awkwardly waiting for him to direct her to a seat.

"Make yourself at home." He said, walking to the couch and plopping down. Audilynn followed, facing him from her seat on the couch.

"So, do you know him?" Audilynn asked, persistently.

"We met a couple times." He said. _Couple hundred times. Every time I look in the mirror._ He thought.

"Where do you think he is?" She asked, confusion and fear slightly plaguing her.

"I'm not sure," He said, with a small sarcastic tone. "You're really persistent, you know."

Audilynn smiled. "I just haven't seen him in a long time. We were really close growing up."

Spencer nodded. "I see."

Audilynn nodded, saying nothing, and letting the silence follow. Spencer didn't feel awkward, but Audilynn felt odd. "I, uh, don't think I ever caught your name." She chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh really?" He asked, a full-blown smile radiating from his lips now. His heart beating so fast he felt like he would throw up. "Well, it's nice to meet you then, Audilynn Adley," He leaned forward, one leg under him, one planting himself firmly on the ground, his hand extended toward her to shake her hand. "My name is Spencer Reid."

She had started to hold her hand out, her eyes looking down at his. She stopped before their hands met. She let her eyes wander up to his. "What?" Tears started to gather in her eyes, her voice in an incredibly serious tone. "You're joking."

He smiled and pulled out his wallet. "Need proof?" He asked, holding out his FBI badge and license to her.

Her hand went to her mouth, and one tear slid down her cheek. "Oh my," She said looking at the name on the badge and ID.

And without warning, Audilynn shifted closer and flung herself on him to engulf him in a hug.

"I missed you, Audilynn." He said into her shoulder and her hair. He had his friend back. Even though she would undoubtedly kick his ass for not telling her the night of her rescue.

"I missed you too, Spencer." Audilynn mumbled through tears and a cracked voice.


	3. Chapter 3

Spencer refused to let her go any time soon, but like all good things, an ending was on the near horizon.

Audilynn pulled away first, a tear or two streaking her face, and her cheeks turning pink at the realisation that her best friend had not only rescued her the other night, but had also seen her half naked. She still had his shirt folded in her luggage.

Spencer knitted his eyebrows at the sight of her. "What's wrong?" His breathing hitched when he thought of her leaving. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

Audilynn shook her head. "No, not if you don't want me to." She chuckled briefly before looking down. "I just don't understand why you never came back."

"Audi, I did. I-" Spencer began, but stopped upon seeing the familiar eyes that pierced into his own.

"I've been waiting years to ask this question. I've been waiting a long time to know why I lost my best friend. But, you only came back once, Spencer." She said, looking at him evenly. "I don't want any miscommunication here, Reid." She said, bringing her sleeve up to wipe away a renegade tear from her cheek.

Her voice cracked, causing her to stop talking for a moment.

"Reid," She said, looking up at him. "You came back to see me one time. The last time I saw you was when I was seventeen and you were eighteen and when you came back you asked two people about me: Alexa Lisbon and Hally Kemp. They hated me. They knew I missed you. They lied to you and you believed them."

Spencer stayed quiet, keeping his eyes on her. Of that much, she was right. He had only asked those two girls, and the two had hated.

But, he thought they grew up. He thought their crazy jokes and horrible lies were over.

He thought that motherhood would bring in caring qualities instead of angry ones.

"Spencer, You didn't even try to find me." She shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her hands that pulled at her sleeves. "I guess that just kinda confirms what Brandon Ashfold told me." Her voice cracked. Another Renegade tear slid down her face.

Spencer froze. "What?"

Spencer felt like this friendship was over now. He knew any minute now that she would storm out of the apartment and leave him sitting alone.

"You didn't want to be around me because you got made fun of more because of me. I understand. I was fat." She shook her head. "I was a pathetic, fat mess."

Spencer shook his head. "No," He shifted to fully face her. "No, Audilynn I didn't mean what I said. I was eighteen. I was trying to fit in with Brandon and his friends. I didn't mean a word of it."

Audilynn looked at him. "I don't know how many ways you can interpret the words _Ew, I would never __date that hippo. I hate it when she's around._" She made a face at him.

"I'm so sorry, Audi." He said, somewhat low but desperate.

"I've missed your friendship for a long time, Spencer." She smiled at the ground. "And I never got closure when you left."

Spencer shook his head at her again. "No, Audi. You don't need closure any more. I'm right here." He looked around his house. "You can stay here. We can be closer than we were before."

Audilynn darted her eyes to his. He was serious. Why wouldn't he be? He would never say something he really didn't mean.

"You want me to stay with you?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes." He answered quickly.

"For how long?" She asked him, her eyebrow still raised in scepticism.

_Forever,_ He thought to himself. "For how ever long you need." He said after a moment.

She looked down at her hands again. She let a small smile through. "Spencer, I came here for answers, not to be a free-loader."

Spencer chuckled at that. "You've changed then." He got a small laugh in response from Audilynn. He waited a moment before speaking again. "If you stay with me, you can have all the answers you want. I just don't want to lose you again."

Audilynn hesitated a moment before looking back up into his eyes. "And you'll answer all the questions I have?"

"Of course," Spencer smiled at her.

Audilynn laughed. "Why do I feel like I'm getting the better part of the deal?"

Spencer chuckled.

_That_ was his friend,

His confidant,

His audience,

And, the woman that he loved.


End file.
